• Lee lives in the middle of a cornfield with her husband and four kids. She works with Moms in Prayer International as a communication specialist and loves talking to moms about praying strategically. We both have new drivers in the house and have decided that we need Jesus like we need oxygen right now.
• We chatted about the different stages that our kids are in and how those stages of parenting also affect what stage of marriage we’re in! We also talked about the looming “empty nest” stage and falling in love with our husbands all over again. It can and does get sweeter as the road goes on.
• Mom fear. It’s so real — and we live in a crazy world!  We fear for our kids’ safety, we fear for their futures, we fear for their salvation, Lee’s book, Brave Mom, Brave Kids, is all about being brave as a mom. I asked Lee to share a little more about her book and the inspiration behind it.
• There are numerous kinds of fear. Lee says that fear was actually an entity made by God, not the enemy — and is actually a gift! I asked Lee to dive into this statement and unpack her meaning.
• One of the things I liked that Lee talks a lot about in her book is becoming a hero in your kids’ lives. I asked Lee how we can not only be heroes for our kids but how to raise our kids in such a way that they will also become heroes in life as well.
• Lee has come up with an acronym, B.R.A.V.E, as a roadmap for her battle plan. She dives deeper into the acronym in her book, but she says that brave starts when we not only believe in God but we believe Him.
• We chat about making a battle plan for our child’s life to prepare them for lifelong faith. I love how Lee shares about being intentional with raising each child. Lee shares about her quarterly review — the 25 questions that she asks each one of her kids about every four months. Our kids are growing and changing and Lee says she wants to make sure her battleplan is on target for where they are at. It is so important that we take the time to call out character in our kids — whether the good or the bad. I love putting the spotlight on their strengths!
• Lee and I talked a little about influences in our kids’ lives. Lee says that in different seasons, it’s ok if she’s not the main source of influence in her children’s lives. They may be connecting with teachers, coaches, or friends. It's so uplifting for kids to have other godly influences that will speak truth into their lives when, maybe, they aren’t open to hearing the truth from mom or dad right now.
• We are imperfect people and with that comes with having to ask for forgiveness. Asking forgiveness falls right in the middle of Lee’s acronym and it’s such a hinge point! It’s good for our kids to see that we are not perfect parents, but we need to be sure that we are asking forgiveness when we mess up. We are the ones who are going to cultivate the need for Jesus in our home.
• Not all of us come from squeaky clean backgrounds, and I love how Lee addresses this in her book. I asked Lee to share a little more about how she thinks that parents get stuck in their past failures so much so that they feel ill-equipped for parenting. Lee also shares how we can encourage moms to train their kids the way they should go even if they haven’t always walked that way.

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

• We chatted a little about a couple of past episodes including Jill Savage, Renee Carlson, Rhonda Stoppe, Heather Haupt, and Heidi St. John. You can always find all the past episodes HERE. 
• Brave Mom, Brave Kids
• Raising Kids Who Turn Out Right
• Power of a Praying Mom
• Seeds Family Worship
• Moms in Prayer
• Hide 'em in Your Heart